


Follow Me

by Ursula



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-08-01
Updated: 2004-08-01
Packaged: 2019-02-05 14:21:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12796350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ursula/pseuds/Ursula
Summary: Mulder and Krycek investigate a case involving missing children.





	Follow Me

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Haven, the archivist: This story was originally archived at [Fandom Haven Story Archive (FHSA)](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_Haven_Story_Archive), was scheduled to shut down at the end of 2016. To preserve the archive, I began working with the OTW to transfer the stories to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. If you are this creator and the work hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Fandom Haven Story Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/fhsa/profile).

Follow Me

 

Fandom: X-Files 

Pairing: M/Sk/K 

Rating: NC-17 

Status: Stand-alone 

Date Posted: 10/1/02 

Archive: Full House 

E-mail address for feedback: Fan4Richie or Ursula4X@aol.com 

Classification: Case File 

Series/Sequel: Is this story part of a series: No 

Web Site: http://fullhouseslash.slashcity.net/~ursula/ 

Disclaimers: The Characters of Mulder, Skinner, and Krycek are borrowed for amusement purposes only from Fox TV, Chris Carter, 1013 et al. 

Notes: Full House Anniversary Story, revised from a birthday short story 

Warnings: A tale for grown up children 

Time Frame: Perhaps an alternate time line 

 

* * * * * 

 

Alex stood in the middle of the office with one hand on his hip, a paintbrush dangling from the other. He stared at the newly painted walls, as if his life depended on the work being perfect. Walter slipped his arm around their lover and said, "It looks good." 

 

"Yes, it does," Alex admitted. He squatted to put the paintbrush into the can and said, "Now if we just get a case or two so we can afford to eat." 

 

Walter frowned. He was the one that didn't want Mulder or Alex using any more Consortium money to fund their private investigation agency. He had permitted the initial startup, but now he said that he didn't want to take any more of the tainted money. 

 

Mulder personally didn't give a damn about the source of the money, but he understood how Walter felt. Alex thought it was foolish, but he let the majority rule. 

 

Mulder blocked any potential brooding by pinching Alex's round ass. Walter punctuated that by slapping Mulder's butt. Walter smirked and said, "Come on. Let's go celebrate. 

 

"I didn't think we could afford a celebration," Mulder grumbled. 

 

"We have everything we need for what I have in mind," Walter said, swatting Mulder's ass again. 

 

"Oh, now you're talking," Mulder said. 

 

OooOooO 

 

The office occupied the front of an old Victorian style house. The kitchen joined the upstairs apartment to the business-zoned downstairs. The lovers had knocked out a wall to join two smaller apartments. 

 

One of the former living rooms was now their bedroom, equipped with a California king bed and a bathroom with a shower big enough to hold all of them. 

 

Once upstairs, Mulder kicked the door shut behind them before he and Walter undressed Alex, not giving him time to catch a breath as they stole kisses. Alex arched back, his hand guided Mulder's lips to his neck. Mulder knew what he wanted and gave it to him, nibbling the flesh delicately. Alex responded by going boneless against Walter's supporting arms. 

 

Walter's lips joined Mulder's, sometimes sparring with his mouth and sometimes stealing kisses from him. Someone turned the shower on and they stepped into it. 

 

The showerheads sprayed them from all angles as they washed each other, boldly soaping every inch. Mulder laughed as he gently managed to penetrate Walter's firm ass with his index finger. 

 

"What do you have in mind, Agent Mulder?" Walter teased. 

 

"I think I want to ravish you," Mulder said. 

 

"Ravish away," invited Walter. 

 

"Save some of it for me," Alex remarked. 

 

"I'll ravish you," Walter said. "Plenty for everyone." 

 

Still damp and smelling fragrant with Alex's favorite sandalwood oil soap; they found their way into bed. Mulder concentrated on getting Walter ready. The man wasn't always willing to let himself be penetrated. Mulder had found that prolonged teasing and preparation helped a lot with Walter's enjoyment. 

 

Alex contented himself with kissing and nuzzling both of his lovers indiscriminately. He slipped a cock ring on Walter, meaning to make sure that Walter would hold back enough to fuck him after Mulder had come. 

 

"Be careful. Slowly, Mulder" Walter said. 

 

"Pushy bottom," Mulder joked. He liked topping, especially topping Walter. Alex said it was because Mulder was a little insecure, but Mulder didn't want to go there. He just knew there was something about pushing into Walter's powerful, bull-like body that just turned him on totally. 

 

Soon Walter groaned beneath him. Once he reached for the cock ring, but Alex wouldn't let him release it. 

 

"You are so going to pay," Walter threatened. "I'm going to fuck you so hard you'll scream when it's my turn." 

 

"Oh, will you?" Alex teased. 

 

"Yeah," Walter gasped. He bellowed a deep note as Mulder's down stroke hit him just right. "Oh, fuck, Mulder, you can do that again." 

 

Mulder tried to remember the angle and must have hit it again because Walter yelled like an opera singer. Mulder lost it and came, pumping come into his lover's firm ass; his head arched back, as he silently affirmed how damned good this life was. 

 

Mulder barely had time to pull out before Walter grabbed Alex and threw him onto his back. "Oh, yeah, ravish me now, big boy," Alex said, fluttering his lashes. 

 

Rolling his eyes at Mulder, Walter said, "He's been watching porn with you again, hasn't he?" 

 

"Maybe," Alex said, "but I didn't learn this from porn." 

 

Mulder could tell that Alex was doing that thing again, an interior shimmy that made it feel as if a vibrating glove of hot, tight flesh was milking your cock. 

 

As hard as he had come, Mulder felt horny again watching his lovers together. One of his old lovers had asked him what he could get from a threesome. Simple, Mulder had answered, both of the men I love, and endless inspiration for a man who always loved to watch anyway. 

 

Watching Walter's back muscles bunch in clusters made Mulder drool and wish he were Alex at the moment, Mulder couldn't resist stroking the straining back. Walter spared a glance back, his eyes twinkling. Alex also met Mulder's eyes with a dancing gaze before the pair was locked in the private dance of their lovemaking. 

 

This night finished as they almost always did with kisses and cuddles and three lovers spooned together inseparably. 

 

 

OooOooO 

 

The office still smelled of fresh paint the next day. Mulder had arranged his desk face to face with Alex's. The small separate office was for Walter, who was used to his privacy. An even smaller room was furnished as an interview room. A file room held Mulder's remaining X-Files for old time's sake. 

 

"Well," Mulder said, looking across at his partner. Alex smirked at him. 

 

"It's going to be all right," Kim Cook said. The phone rang as she spoke and she said, "See?" 

 

A moment later, Kim's voice held a hint of irritation. "No, we do not want to switch our long distance provider." 

 

Walter's former administrative assistant was volunteering her time with the three men. She was now married to a car dealer and didn't really have to work. She had quit the FBI when Walter retired, but had insisted that she would speculate on her wages when the three men opened the agency. 

 

Walter wandered into the room and sat on the edge of Mulder's desk. He reached out to caress Mulder's hair. Walter had a serious thing about his lovers' hair. "Later today, I'm going to make some calls to old friends in law enforcement and see if there are any cold cases they would let us tackle." 

 

The phone rang again. Kim's professionally smooth voice answered, "Skinner, Mulder, Krycek, and Cook, Investigations. How may I help you?" 

 

A beam lit her face. She said, "Yes, you can talk to Ag..to Mr. Mulder." She put the phone on hold and announced, "It's an FBI Agent, Jenny Marley. She wants your help on a case." 

 

"Great," Mulder said, reaching eagerly for the phone, that he and Alex shared until they could afford additional lines. 

 

Hitting the speaker on the phone, Mulder said, "Fox Mulder. How can I help you, Agent Marley?" 

 

"I work in Hamlin, West Virginia, Maryland, Agent Mulder. We have an unusual problem and I found a reference to a case that you and Mr. Krycek investigated many years ago." 

 

Instantly, Mulder was plunged back in time. It was the first time that Alex and he had made love and, as a result, the men had discovered they had something in common, Assistant Director, Walter S. Skinner. Before that had happened, Alex and he had their first all out fight, ending in a physical struggle that had tumbled from rage to lust. 

 

The case had happened in Hamlin, New York. There were several cases of missing children. Mulder had felt sure that it was a case of alien abduction. Alex had been just as adamant that it was not. Sadly, the children had never been found, alive or dead, and the case remained unsolved. 

 

"I remember the case," Mulder said. "Is it missing children again?" 

 

"Yes, five of them," Agent Marley said. "Can I Fed Ex a package to you? I have a video tape of some of the interrogations and the case files." 

 

"Is this an official consultation?" Walter asked. 

 

Mulder repeated the question. 

 

The young nervous voice answered, "Not exactly." 

 

"Uh huh," Mulder encouraged. He winced, something about the answer reminding him of his own past. 

 

"He said he didn't care whom I called in as long as he didn't get a bill and the agency wasn't embarrassed in the media. I told him that you three were heroes. How could that be an embarrassment?" 

 

"Live heroes are often an embarrassment," Alex said dryly. 

 

Walter made a shooing gesture at his lovers and said, "We would love to help, but the agency is just getting started. We can't afford to donate our services." 

 

"But," Mulder interjected. 

 

"I understand. Of course not," Agent Marley said. "The families of the girls started a fund. They'll pay you two hundred a day plus expenses. One of them owns the best hotel in town so you can count on good lodging." 

 

"That's not a lot," Walter said, but before Mulder could grab the phone from his hand, he added, "But we'll take the project for the experience." 

 

Mulder left Walter to work out the crass details. He grabbed Alex and said, "Come on, let's look through my files. I think I still have a copy of that one." 

Kim followed them into the tiny room and asked, "Can I help?" 

 

Shaking his head, Mulder said, "No, there's just room for the two of us. Don't worry about it. Alex and I will be fine." 

 

They were arm to arm, leg to leg in the confined space, but Mulder liked it that way. He leaned over to kiss Alex for the first time since that morning. 

 

Alex grabbed his face and returned the kiss with interest. Until Mulder said, "Hey, not now, junior. Time to find that file." 

 

It was buried in a half-scorched box. Mulder had to laugh when he saw the smear of yellowed something on the folder. He remembered how that happened! As he opened the file, a picture fell out. Alex stood with a serious expression, holding a piece of evidence, one of the missing girl's Mary Jane shoes. 

 

God, Alex had been lovely! How had Mulder missed that for as long as it took him to jump those beautiful bones? 

 

The picture slipped from his fingers, as both he and Alex bent to retrieve it, they bumped heads. Mulder rubbed his forehead and smiled. Alex managed to capture the photograph. His expression was rueful. He said, "The reason I was so sure that it was not abductions was that Spender didn't order me to obstruct your investigation." 

 

"Shit," Mulder said. He shook his head. "I didn't think of that. Well, if you're baiting a honey trap, you should go for the sweetest. I'm not pissed Alex. Stop looking at me that way." 

 

"We got another chance," Alex said. "It was this time that year when we fucked the first time." 

 

"Made love," Mulder corrected. "I knew what it was, no matter what I said later." 

 

"I know," Alex said. "I knew from the first time that you and Walter were different." 

 

"We all spent a lot of time lying to each other and to ourselves," Mulder murmured. He looked away from Alex, but his hand reached for a brief reassuring touch on Alex's right arm. 

 

"Well, we'd better bring this along. Perhaps there's something we missed." 

 

OooOooO 

 

The next morning Fed Ex delivered a check and videotape of various interrogations. The purpose of taping was actually for the benefit of the suspects. Supposedly, it would prevent coercion from being used. Mulder thought it was little more than a gesture. There was a lot that could happen off camera to frighten or confuse a suspect. 

 

Given the number of missing children, there were numerous possible suspects. Each case had been handled reasonably well. They had considered families and neighbors first. Even in child homicides, the near and dearest were the most frequent culprits. 

 

Agent Marley had found a few people who had connections with all of the children. The mailman was known to dislike children and grumble threats. The children shared several teachers in common. Mulder didn't form any instant opinions but he knew which suspects he wanted to interview personally. 

 

Kim booked them tickets to Hamlin and even managed to finagle an upgrade to first class. Agent Marley would meet them at the airport. Walter looked pleased with himself. He said, "About time I got back in the field. I thought I was getting too old for it all. Turns out that I wasn't old; I was bored." 

 

"I'm sure that Mulder and I can keep you from being bored from now on," Alex said silkily. 

 

"God help me," Walter said, but his smile took the sting out of his words. 

 

OooOooO 

 

Something about Jenny Marley grated on Mulder's nerves before she even opened her mouth. Maybe it was that she was perky? She bounced when she walked in her sensible heels. Her hair had wild tendrils escaping from the confines of a twist of bun. Her eyes sparkled, and the way she reverently said, "Agent Mulder?" made him feel ancient. 

 

"That's my name," Mulder replied. 

 

"Alex Krycek," Alex said. 

 

Agent Marley stared at Alex as if a mystical creature had appeared before her. 

 

"He doesn't bite..." Mulder remarked, let a beat pass before adding, "except on command." 

 

"Mulder," Walter reproved. He extended his hand, totally enveloping Jenny Marley's small one. "Walter Skinner." 

 

Now Agent Marley fluttered. She said, "AD Skinner, I never thought I would meet you or Agent Mulder. It's like history come to life." With a still nervous look at Alex, she said, "Agent Krycek, too, of course." 

 

"Alex isn't an afterthought. He gave his life for the cause, you know," Mulder said. "More than once." 

 

The look Agent Marley gave him was so wide eyed that she looked like an alien. Mulder said, "I hope they gave us the honeymoon suite as I asked." 

 

"Yes, sir,' Agent Marley said. "They did." 

 

"Well, the sooner we check in, the sooner we can start working. Did you bring the case files as I asked?" Mulder asked. 

 

"There were a few that still needed to be copied," Agent Marley said. "I'll pick them up after I drop you off." 

 

OooOooO 

 

"If she was any greener, she'd be a shamrock," Mulder snipped. He rolled his eyes at his partners. 

 

Walter glared at Mulder and said, "Considering the case, Mulder, I think you can spare the attitude." 

 

Mulder could tell that his lover was ready to paddle his ass or at least have one of their infamous shouting matches. He didn't feel up to it. Sprawled on the bed, Alex looked bemused and moody. Mulder decided the safest bet was to try for nonchalance and perhaps divert attention to his lover. 

 

"What's the matter, Alex?" Mulder asked, sitting on the bed. He brushed the hair back from Alex's face and tilted his chin up to look into his eyes. 

 

"Just thinking of the first time that we were here," Alex said. "Man, if I had just trusted you enough. If only..." 

 

"Yeah, those are sad words, possibly the saddest in the English language," Mulder said. 

 

Flopping back on the bed, Mulder used Alex's torso as his pillow. "You know it's odd that the two cases both happened in towns by the name of Hamlin." 

 

"Odd or significant?" Alex said. 

 

"Ten years later and you still think that someone is reenacting fairy tales?" Mulder asked. 

 

"Yeah, why not?" Alex said. 

 

"How many Hamlin's are there in the USA?" Walter asked. 

 

"Hamlin, Texas," Walter said. 

 

"Hamlin Township in Michigan," Alex added. "Hamlin County in South Dakota. There's one in Pennsylvania. Another in Maine. That's all I know of off hand." 

 

"A fair number," Mulder said. "We could see if there have been missing children in any of those places." 

 

"Seriously, Mulder?" Walter asked. 

 

"Seriously," Mulder answered. "It's Alex's theory and I want to respect his ideas." 

 

"I can't argue with that," Walter replied. 

 

OooOooO 

 

Agent Marley showed up dragging a heavy briefcase. She also had a copy of the book Mulder and Alex had written together. She said, "I was hoping that all three of you would autograph it." 

 

"I didn't write it," Walter said. 

 

"But you lived it," Alex said. 

 

"I agree." Mulder said. "The book is about us all, the Gunmen, Walter, Scully, Doggett, Reyes, Jeff Spender, and Marita Covarrubius. All of us who played a role in defeating the aliens and the conspiracy. Sign the book, Walter." 

 

Mulder mellowed toward Agent Marley. She might be all right. He asked, "Anything to indicate a kidnapping?" 

 

"No, no ransom notes. We've been over the entire area with search and rescue dogs. We had the best cadaver dog, in the state, in the woods. Nothing. Nada. Zilch." Agent Marley said. 

 

The agent dumped a stack of files out of her briefcase. Mulder sat up, his indifference vanished. He shuffled through the files and said, "Five kids. You'd think that there'd be some trace. Who looks good for it? Anyone with a history of molestation?" 

 

"Of course," Agent Marley said unhappily. "But none of them seem to check out for all of the kids. If they don't have an alibi for one child, they do for another." 

 

"How about anything odd?" Alex asked, sitting up also. He picked up a file and thumbed through it. "Strange lights or people complaining of odd medical problems?" 

 

"No," the new agent said. She sighed and said, "We'd be happy enough even if we thought 'they' were back." 

 

Now Mulder smiled with a whole heart at Marley. A believer was still a pleasure to meet. Even when every newscast was blasting reports about the aliens, the average citizen still didn't believe. No surprise when idiots still thought the moonwalk only happened in a TV studio. 

 

With a glance at Alex, who was reading rapidly through the stack of files, Mulder picked up his own pile. Walter and Agent Marley occupied the small table, talking quietly as they examined the third pile. 

 

Somehow or other, Alex and Mulder landed back on the bed, head to head, reading the vast stacks of facts, conjecture and plain desperate grasping at straws. 

 

"Him," said Alex. "Mr. Gosse, the music teacher." 

 

"Yes, I like him for it too," Mulder said. 

 

"His house has been searched from basement to attic and every place in between," Agent Marley said. "Not a scrap of evidence. Not a drop of blood. Not a fragment of clothing." 

 

"He was disgruntled when the band program was axed. He said that he had a verbal contract for a year," Mulder said, staring at the thin, sallow face of the flute playing band teacher. 

 

"Your own report said he threatened the school board and PTA when they refused to fund his class," Alex pointed out. 

 

"I know. That's why we were interested, but there's no proof and it's hard to believe that a man who can barely walk could abduct five little girls and hide them so completely that no trace can be found," Agent Marley said. She brushed back wisps of hair that were escaping from her formerly tidy bun. "If Mr. Gosse hadn't claimed that his music techniques combated juvenile crime, the board might have been more sympathetic. He said he could change rats into singing birds with his teaching. Oddly enough, there was a lessening in crime when he was employed." 

 

"He could be faking the handicap. I've run into that before. I want to talk to him," Mulder said. He tugged at Alex's arm and said, "You can go with me, junior. Let's see if you remember what you learned in the academy." 

 

OooOooO 

 

The gingerbread trim house seemed so prosaic in the grim circumstances. Mulder knew that Walter had a bug on him and another on Alex. He worried. After all the years of fighting anything resembling supervision, Mulder had mellowed to Walter's mother hen gestures. Somehow it was different when it was one of your lovers worrying about you. 

 

Mr. Gosse was fifty. His eyes were cold black beads set in pouched circles. He was so thin that he might have sidelined as an anatomy skeleton. His complexion was yellow. His nose was a crooked beak. His clothing made Mulder wish that he were totally colorblind. It could be kindly called a plaid, but it was a motley assemblage of clownish colors. The pants were lime green. The vest was every shade under the sun. The shirt was puce. The man leaned on an old-fashioned cane that was topped with a carved wooden rat head. 

 

"I've already talked to her," Mr. Gosse said, pointing at her with the flute he clutched in his right hand. 

 

"We're special consultants," Mulder said. "They asked us to look at the case." 

 

Abruptly the man turned and said, "Come have some tea like civilized people." Mr. Gosse yelled, "Mother, put the kettle on. We have guests." 

 

Mrs. Gosse was a widow. Her round curves contrasted with her son's lean angular body. She smiled cheerfully and said, "I'm sure the poor bairns are perfectly fine. Why I remember a child I knew named Jack that went missing for three days. He showed up no worse the wear." 

 

"Shush, no one needs your tales, mother," Mr. Gosse said. 

 

"Son, you are such a bore sometimes," Mrs. Gosse said. She set down a plate of cookies. 

 

As the treats were chocolate, Alex couldn't resist. He took a greedy bite. His eyelashes fluttered as they did when he came. He smiled and said, "The best chocolate chip cookies I ever tasted, Mrs. Gosse." 

 

"Oh, do call me Mother Gosse," the woman said. "And have as many cookies as you can hold. You are much too thin." 

 

Mulder struggled to get the conversation back on track. He said, "I understand that you knew all the children, Mr. Gosse." 

 

"Of course, I did. They are charming children with lovely voices, but if you did your homework, you'd know that every child in the school took one of my classes. I was the only music teacher that those barbarians hired. Now they have some incompetent twit teaching music in her spare time from muddling about as a counselor," Mr. Gosse said. 

 

"So you feel that the children's talents were being wasted here?" Mulder said. 

 

"So many children fade like flowers," Mr. Gosse said. 

 

"You think perhaps that their innocence should be preserved? I can understand that," Mulder said. 

 

"Mr. Mulder, I am not an idiot and don't think that I am some pitiful madman who kills children to save their souls nor would I ever condone a sexual interest in children. My preferences...well, I keep those private." 

 

Private, possibly, Mulder thought, but during the conversation, Mulder was uncomfortably aware of Mr. Gosse devouring both he and Alex with his eyes. Alex's face took on a stone-like set in reaction, but he didn't comment. Mulder said, "I understand you were very upset with the school over being let go." 

 

"Of course, I was. I'm an old-fashioned fellow who believes a handshake is as good as a contract. They asked me to teach music to the children and to implement my calming ways with the brats. I fulfilled my end. The vandalism stopped cold. There were no weapons brought to school and the children I taught learned to be proper students," Mr. Gosse said. He pushed a resume full of accolades at Mulder. 

 

Alex thumbed through the paper, glancing up at Gosse with surprise. He said, "You had a business as a rat catcher? Interesting phrase. Most people would say exterminator." 

 

"I rather like rats. They are intelligent creatures, pleasant companions. They are only a problem when not under control. As I told Ms. Marley, I am hardly a violent man. I didn't kill the rats and I did not kill the children," Mr. Gosse replied. 

 

Hours later, the two agents left the house. Alex stretched his neck, a crackling showing how tense he truly had been. He shook his head when Mulder opened his mouth, inclining his head toward the picture window. The blinds moved slightly and Mulder realized that Mr. Gosse was still observing them. 

 

Once, they were safely in the car, Mulder said, "He's hiding something and I did not like the way he looked at you." 

 

"I didn't either," Alex said, "it reminded me of the way Spender's guests would look at me just before they asked for me as party favor." 

 

Mulder winced, not liking to be reminded of that part of his lover's life. At one time, he might have lashed out in jealousy and discomfort. Now, he rubbed Alex's leg and said, "It's over, love. I'll keep you safe." 

 

Alex's smile was ample reward for Mulder's gentle response. Someday, Mulder told himself, Alex would take his love and support as a given. 

 

Walter kissed both of them when they returned to the room. He had spent the day with Agent Marley, now referred to as Jenny. They had a feast of Chinese food laid out on the small table. The food smelled good and Mulder moved toward it instantly. 

 

It surprised Mulder when Alex got out his laptop and plugged it into the computer line in the room. He said, "Aren't you going to eat first?" 

 

"Something about Mr. Gosse's past bothered me. I'm going to use my sources to run a deep background," Alex said. 

 

An hour later, Alex filled a plate with the remaining food and washed it down with more tea. He had barely finished when the laptop announced it had mail with Walter's crisp voice. He had recorded an entire sound scheme for Alex. 

 

Alex shoved his plate away to go back to his work. He said, "Just as I thought, our Mr. Gosse does not exist beyond those recent jobs. The birth certificate he used belongs to a dead child. His mother is also using the same scam. The two of them are hiding something. We should go back and watch them. Perhaps search the house again." 

 

Jenny said, "Let me get a court order to tap the phone and for a search. If we have to make a case, I don't want it blown for illegally obtained evidence." 

 

"Might be too late for those children," Alex growled. He threw himself on the bed angrily. He wasn't used to coloring within the lines anymore. 

 

After Jenny left to badger a judge, Walter cleaned up the mess of dinner and left it for the hotel service people to pick up. He said, "Puzzling case. All of the children were seen walking towards the woods. They were not seen near any adult and they were not known to be disobedient children." 

 

"Perhaps we missed some of the aliens," Alex said. "A chip would cause that sort of behavior. Although Mr. Gosse does not seem to have worked for the conspiracy." 

 

"Could be," Mulder said, "but I don't think that's it. I have a feeling." 

 

"Let's sleep on it," Walter said, but his expression as he looked at his lovers suggested something other than slumber was on his mind. 

 

OooOooO 

 

Before he opened his eyes, Mulder knew something was wrong. His arm was flung across Walter's bare chest. He could feel the bristle of his lover's Brillo pad of hair. He could feel the powerful exhalations stirring across his arm in the deep regular breaths that Walter said were definitely not snoring. 

 

Mulder's back was cold. There was no snuffling little nose buried against his neck or puffing hotly into his hair. He could not feel Alex's cock, snug as a pup against and almost inside of his ass cheeks. That was Alex's favorite sleeping position and Mulder tolerated it because it made Alex happy. Mulder was sure that his lover was not in bed. 

 

Mulder opened his eyes, using the strobe of car headlights passing outside to search for Alex. Sometimes his lover had trouble sleeping and would sit silently and reflectively, staring out the window like a bored cat. He wasn't in the room. Mulder got up to check the bathroom and by the time he came back, Walter was also awake. 

 

Walter looked under the bed. It was true that once or twice a nightmare sent Alex under there. Walter said, "Let's check the lobby." 

 

Alex wasn't in the hotel. The desk clerk had seen him go out about an hour earlier. He said, "He looked strange, as if he was following something I couldn't see." 

 

The clothing Alex had been wearing sat in the alley near a manhole. Of course, they checked inside the sewer. In the morning, a crew walked the pipe to make sure that Alex wasn't hidden inside. There was no trace of him; a good thing as Alex hated dark, enclosed places. 

 

Walter had a tracer on Alex; it was incorporated into his nipple ring. There was another in his prosthetic but that also had been abandoned. The emerald stud, however, was still with their missing darling. The signal was weak, but led to the woods. It led them to a hill, but from there, the monitor spun wildly. 

 

"It's a fairy hill," Jenny said. She blushed and said, "Well, that's what they said when I was a kid." 

 

"Whatever it is, it's raising hell with this unit," Walter said, shaking the thing despondently. 

 

Search dogs went over the area an inch at a time. One of the dogs, a famous bloodhound wouldn't leave a small opening in the rocky hill. 

 

Lying on the ground, Mulder tried to peer into the small hole. It appeared deep. He tried to widen it, but only a thin layer of top soil softened the bedrock. The hole seemed to plummet right through the stone. 

 

"There has to be way under the hill," Mulder said. 

 

"Rumor has it that there is," Jenny said, a breeze blowing hair into her plain, earnest face. "But no one has found it." 

 

"We'll find it," Mulder vowed. 

 

OooOooO 

 

It seemed that Alex was having one of those dreams where you find yourself in a public space naked. Flying was also a common dream, but Alex had never dreamed of striding a giant bird as they winged through the chill night air before. 

 

Waking was a shock. Alex blinked as Mr. Gosse handed him green tights, a leather jerkin, and soft leather boots. Leather shorts completed the costume. He threw the clothing at the man and said, "You can't keep me here." 

 

"I think that I can. I shall keep you in a pumpkin shell and there you will keep very well. You'll learn to love me," Mr. Gosse said. "Meanwhile, unless you want the children to see you naked, you had best dress." 

 

The children? Alex felt his heart leap. He would go along with this madman to help the children. He hurriedly dressed, trying to note possible exits. He saw none, just oddly patterned walls. It looked as if the house was made of hard candy. Alex knew that pedophiles catered to the likes of children, but this was totally insane. 

 

Mr. Gosse's eyes devoured him. "You should always wear tights and leather. You look so beautiful, Alex. Why Titania herself would want to steal you away. With me, you will never grow old. You will be lovely forever. I shall ask Puck for a magical herb that will repair the desecration of your body. I will make you happy. In time, you will forget your human lovers and adore only me." 

 

"Never, you crazy fucker," Alex said. He was terrified but that had never stopped him from fighting to survive before. He'd do anything it would take to stay alive, but when he had the chance, his abductor was a cooked goose. 

 

"Gosse, why did you take the children?" Alex demanded. 

 

"It's a matter of principle and I am a man of principle. I had a verbal contract for five years. All they had to do was honor their word, but no. I've always fulfilled my contracts and if Hamlin Town does not keep their end then I take the children. They go to be changelings at the Queen's court and are happy for the most part. What child does not long to be a fairy?" 

 

The five little girls looked adorable in long dresses and pinafores. Alex looked around and saw that the house was furnished with frilly beds, shelves lined with all manner of children's books, and with chests of toys. 

 

The girls had been having a tea party when Alex entered. Seeing a stranger, the children froze. 

 

Mr. Gosse said, "Children, this is Alex. He will be staying with us. Now, be very good. I need to borrow enough pixie dust to get this house airborne." 

 

Alex said, "One of these children is ill, Mr. Gosse. Maryanne must have medication each day. Her parents are frantic." 

 

"Oh, posh," Mr. Gosse said, "I cured that instantly. Children should not be ill. If I had the power, well..." 

 

With a stiff little bow, Mr. Gosse left the room so swiftly that Alex had no time to react. 

 

"Are you Robin Hood?" one of the girls asked. 

 

"No, I'm just an ordinary person who was helping the police men try to find you. You're Maryanne Jacobs, aren't you?" Alex said. 

 

"Are you really a policeman? My parents said not to talk to strangers, but I can talk to policemen," Maryanne said. 

 

At eight, Maryanne was the oldest of the children, a very pretty girl with somewhat puffy face, probably the after effects of the medication she took. 

 

"I'm not a policeman anymore," Alex said. He crouched to meet the girl's eyes. "But I'm helping them. That's how Mr. Gosse saw me." 

 

"He took us because Hamlin wouldn't pay him," Maryanne said. She stared into Alex's eyes and said, "I guess you're all right. If you're helping the police, you must be like a policeman." 

 

Arms went around Alex's neck and the little girl said, "I want to go home. Mr. Gosse has been nice, but I don't care. I don't need the lovely dresses and pretty toys if I can't see my Mom and Dad. I miss my puppy too. He's a Scotty dog and he sleeps on the foot of my bed. I bet he hasn't slept at all since Mr. Gosse brought me here." 

 

"Has he hurt any of you?" Alex asked anxiously as the other girls clustered around him. 

 

The girls all shook their heads. Alex felt his cheeks heat as he asked, "Has he touched you any place where your swimming suit would cover?" 

 

"No," the girls all shouted. 

 

Maryanne said, "If he had tried to touch us or hurt us, I would have screamed and bit him." 

 

Relieved, Alex said, "That's great. Well, I'm going to see if there's any way out of here." 

 

"There isn't. The door goes away as soon as Mr. Gosse leaves. There are bars on the window, which are made of very strong and hard candy canes. We've been trying to lick our way out, but it's such a lot of candy!" 

 

Alex inspected the window. He could see where the children had been nibbling and licking, but the bars didn't even sway when he pulled at them. He looked around for a tool, but there was nothing substantial in the room. He tried one of the books, but he couldn't even chip the candy cane bars, even with the complete Brothers Grim. 

 

About the only thing metal in the house was in the bathroom and Alex couldn't get the pipes loose without a tool. He touched his nipple, feeling the hard lump beneath the jerkin, hoping that the micro transmitter inside the ring would lead his lovers to him. Thank God for his lover's paranoia. 

 

Settling down with Alice in Wonderland, Alex asked, "Would anyone like to hear a story?" 

 

Instantly the five children settled around him. Yvonne Royale asked, "May I turn the pages, sir?" 

 

Alex smiled at her and said, "Certainly, that would be a big help." He was glad all of the children were politely ignoring his missing arm. He would hate to have to explain how it happened. 

 

OooOooO 

 

Hours later, Mulder slumped atop a sizable boulder. Walter towered over him, frowning at the rocky surface of the hillside as if he could make it part beneath his fearsome gaze. 

 

To Mulder's surprise, Walter lost it. He kicked at a root and tore at a bush, roaring, "God damn it. Give him back. Give Alex back." 

 

There was a sound, a creaking, groaning sound. Mulder jumped to his feet in time to see the apparently solid earth part to show an opening just large enough to admit an adult man if he stooped. 

 

Walter was inside instantly, as if he was as impulsive as Mulder was wont to be. Mulder was right behind him. He heard Jenny call for backup, but she followed them immediately afterwards. The dog handler with the huge bloodhound shrugged and joined them. 

 

The passage was dark and twisted, branching off in different directions. The dog handler, a big boned, hearty woman who was a 'Jennifer' not a 'Jenny', said, "Let me and Noble lead." 

 

Walter held back to allow the dog to follow his nose. The baying sounded eerie in the enclosed space. They had to stop once to catch their breath. The flashlight caught sparks of mica, which glittered fantastically. A small trickle of subterranean water cut through the rock. 

 

When they had rested, the four people and the magnificent dog plunged on. The passage widened until even Mulder and Walter didn't need to stoop. Suddenly, the clear sound of voices came to them. One male adult voice and five clear children's voices wafted up the passage to them. They were singing, "T'is a joy to be simple, t'is a joy to be free." 

 

Following the voices, Mulder and Walter now took the lead with drawn guns. They squeezed through one final tight passage and blinked as they entered a crystal cave. It glowed with a strange light from no source that Mulder could see. A little house stood in the middle of the cave. The song came from a barred window. It took a moment for the agents to realize that the house was made of candy, at least the exterior was. 

 

The bars of the window from which the song had come were heavily indented. Mulder peered inside and saw Alex with five little girls clinging to him. His lover looked up and said, "Thank God, you found us before we had to eat our way out. My teeth and waistline thank you." 

 

Walter picked up a hunk of crystal and said, "Stand back. Alex get the children to the corner." 

 

Mulder had a moment to see Alex huddle over the small children, protecting them with his lean body. Walter moved him back and then swung the stone. Shattered candy cane flew everywhere. It took several massive swings to get through the bars. 

 

As Alex handed the children through, Jenny said, "They are all here. Amy, Theresa, Maryanne, Gail, and Yvonne." 

 

"The pied piper said we were going to fairy land," announced one sticky girl. 

 

"Did he hurt you?" Jenny asked. 

 

"Of course not," Maryanne said. "He was just a fairy tale man. He doesn't hurt you." 

 

The other girls agreed. Mulder slid through the window and explored the house. It was a blend of strange structures made of sweets, contrasted with modern conveniences. 

 

Alex said, "It wasn't my fault that I ended up here. I woke with strange piping in my ears. I had to follow it and the next thing I knew, I was here." 

 

"What about you?" Mulder said. "Did he hurt you?" 

 

"No, but he said he was going to marry me and keep me in a pumpkin shell," Alex said. "I'd say the piper was nuts, but he has supernatural powers." 

 

OooOooO 

 

Mulder had just lifted the last little girl out of the tunnel when Jenny's phone screeched. 

 

The FBI agent said, "You've spotted him? Don't lose him. We have the children and they are safe, but there are some other cold cases that he may know about. Keep him alive!" 

 

The local police met them a short distance from the hill's secret entrance. Mulder said, "I want to join the pursuit." 

 

Walter said, "I do too." 

 

Alex disengaged Maryanne from his side and said, "You're not leaving me behind." 

 

OooOooO 

 

The three men scrambled back up the hill just in time to see Mr. Gosse waving his arms wildly on the peak. A deputy yelled through bullhorn, "We have you surrounded. Surrender peacefully. You won't be harmed." 

 

"Never," screeched the Pied Piper. He climbed up a boulder and posed there for a moment before leaping into the air. 

 

It had to have been a helicopter. There was no way that the Pied Piper really could have been rescued by his mother riding on a very fine gander. That's what everyone said, anyway. 

 

OooOooO 

 

"All's well that ends well," Alex said. "The children are fine. Mr. Gosse treated them very well, other than allowing them to eat too much candy. The physical examinations showed they had not been harmed. He told me that it was a matter of principle. If a town contracts with him, whether to remove rats or calm brats, they must pay and fulfill the contract or he takes the children. He said he's done it for hundreds of years and he isn't going to change." 

 

"He was insane," Walter declared. 

 

"Maybe," agreed Mulder, but he and Alex exchanged glances. They didn't really think so. 

 

Oh, and if your school or town hires a strange fellow with a flute, do be sure they fulfill the contract. Walter, Mulder, and Alex might not be there to help you! 

 

The End


End file.
